BRIDGEWATER - Gov. Chris Christie today called for a ballot question this November on same-sex marriage.

"Let's put the question of same sex marriage on the ballot," Christie said.

"I believe in the institution of marriage. I realize this is my personal opinion. ...Rather than have stalemate and deadlock on this issue, let's put it on the ballot.

"It shouldn't be decided by 121 people in Trenton."

BRIDGEWATER - Gov. Chris Christie invoked the money line of the late NRA spokesman Chuck Heston today when he promised a crowd that he would prevent Democrats from squirreling away their money.

The governor welcomed applause when he said he wants to reduce income taxes across the board by ten percent over the next three years.

"The plan is no matter who you are in New Jersey, if you have a job, your taxes are going to go down," he said. "I listen to the Democrats and it makes me laugh. They talk about fiscal responsibility. ...They borrowed more money than anybody in history and they're preaching to me about fiscal responsibility."

In his State of the State address, Governor Christie presented several long overdue initiatives, while offering other proposals that would just tinker around the edges regarding what ails the economy.  The governor’s take on taxes and crime is a good first step, but he needs to embrace a long term strategy based on a firm grasp of the freedom principle.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to land in Essex County tomorrow for another leg of his comeback tour where ministers are somewhat steamed at Democrats for backing marriage equality as a cornerstone issue in their 2012 agenda.  

Opposed to same-sex marriage, Christie stayed off the subject in his State of the State address Tuesday, and now heads into God's Country - specifically the Christian Love Church in Irvington - with African-American ministers affirming his stands on gay marriage, education reform and state upgrades in drug counseling. 

By contrast, claiming to have experienced a transformation on the issue on the same week it became public that he opened a U.S. Senate PAC, state Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) chiseled S1 on the marriage equality bill, signifiying its importance to the session. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, (D-34), East Orange, stood at his side with other Democratic Party leaders, and some of the same ministers who supported Oliver as the Legislature's first African-American woman speaker in a leadership battle last year now have questions about Democratic intentions with the bill.  

How do the political insiders really view the office of the Vice-President?

Combatants:

State Sen. Jim Whelan, (D-2), Atlantic City,  v. Assemblyman Vince Polistina, (R-2), Egg Harbor Township, for Whelan’s Senate seat.

On October 11, Governor Christie endorsed “moderate” Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president in New Hampshire.  A couple of hours later, Christie and Romney held a national teleconference for supporters.

New Jersey voters view the upcoming legislative elections as a referendum on the governor according to a new poll released today.

In a Rutgers-Eagleton poll of 903 adults, including a sample of 821 registered and 603 likely voters, 54 percent of likley voters said their vote will be in support or opposition to Gov. Chris Christie, while 42 percent say their vote has nothing to do with Christie.

Gov. Chris Christie disappointed national Republican backers last week when he formally announced he would not pursue the GOP nomination for president.

Apparently, the GOP wasn't the only gloomy party.

Veteran Democratic state Sen. Ray Lesniak, (D-20), Elizabeth, says tough guy Christie may be letting his country down by not running for the Republican nomination for President and preventing any of the other unacceptable candidates from winning.

TRENTON - Saying it just "didn't feel right," Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon in his outer office told a capacity crowd of reporters that he won't run for president in 2012.

"For me the answer wasn't anything but no," said the governor. "I'm doing the job in the state I grew up in."

He said he finally made his decision last night.

Republicans for months have leaned on the combative New Jersey governor to run for president and he repeatedly said he wouldn't run.

Sources close to Christie said the bow-out of former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty from the Republican Primary in August intensified fundraisers' and party leaders' interest in Christie.